The Professional Staff Congress-CUNY (PSC-CUNY) is a teachers union representing teachers and faculty within the City University of New York (CUNY) system. The union represents over 23,000 members and is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, New York State United Teachers, the American Association of University Professors, and the AFL-CIO labor federation. The union is also identified as American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 2334. ^{1 2}

Founded in the 1970s after the merger of two CUNY unions, the PSC represents several classes of both faculty and staff and operates a political action committee, the PSC/CUNY Committee on Public Education, which contributes to candidates for state, local and federal office. ^{1 2}

The union has previously lobbied for increased funding for the CUNY system as well as collective bargaining powers and increased salaries and benefits for members. The group has promoted several left-of-center advocacy campaigns related to immigration and environmental policy, and has previously shown support for the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement. ^{3 4 5 6}

Background

The Professional Staff Congress at the City University of New York (CUNY) was formed in 1972 as the result of a merger between two rival local unions: the Legislative Conference and the United Federation of College Teachers. ²

As of 2023, the PSC reported over 23,000 members and more than $20 million in annual revenue. It is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, New York State United Teachers, the American Association of University Professors, and the AFL-CIO labor federation . The union is also identified as American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 2334. ^{7 8}

Advocacy

Anti-Israel

In 2021, the Professional Staff Congress-CUNY approved a resolution that allegedly showed support for the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement while referring to the state of Israel as an “apartheid” state. In response, six Jewish CUNY professors accused the union of promoting “anti-Semitic” statements and filed a suit alongside the right-of-center Fairness Center and the National Right to Work Foundation challenging PSC’s power of “exclusive representation” of professors. ⁶

In December 2023, following the October 7, 2023 terror attack against Israel, the union voted to endorse a statement, “The US Labor Movement Calls for Ceasefire in Israel and Palestine” along with other labor unions calling for “the restoration of humanitarian aid to Gaza, for the release of Israeli hostages by Hamas, and for President Biden to call for a ceasefire.” ⁹ The resolution was endorsed by 78 other labor unions which included Rutgers University AFT-AAUP, Boston Teachers Union, Chicago Teachers Union, United Auto Workers, and UMass-Boston Faculty/Staff Union. ⁹

Immigration

In February 2025, the Professional Staff Congress-CUNY published sample language it claimed PSC members must use on their Spring 2025 class syllabi regarding immigration policy. The sample language claimed, “I am committed to doing everything I can to ensure that every student, regardless of immigration status, is safe in this classroom…I will not create or maintain records that could be used by federal agencies to implicate members of our community as undocumented.” ¹⁰

1. “Issues.” Professional Staff Congress. Accessed February 15, 2025. https://psc-cuny.org/issues/
2. “Professional Staff Congress: Formation and First Contract.” City University of New York. Accessed February 15, 2025.  https://cdha.cuny.edu/collections/show/152
3. “Environmental Health and Safety.” Professional Staff Congress. Accessed February 15, 2025. https://psc-cuny.org/issues/environmental-health-and-safety/
4. “Standing Up for Immigrants and the Right to Protest.” Professional Staff Congress. Accessed February 15, 2025. https://psc-cuny.org/news-events/week/standing-up-for-immigrants-and-the-right-to-protest/
5. “Committee on Political Education.” Professional Staff Congress. Accessed February 15, 2025. https://psc-cuny.org/issues/issues-cope/
6. “Goldstein v. Professional Staff Congress-CUNY.” Fairness Center. Accessed February 15, 2025. https://www.fairnesscenter.org/cases/goldstein-v-professional-staff-congress-cuny/
7. “Information on Union Membership in the Professional Staff Congress- CUNY, 2019.” City College of New York. Accessed February 15, 2025. https://ssa.ccny.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Information-on-Union-Membership-in-the-Professional-Staff-Congress-CUNY-2019.pdf
8. “Professional Staff Congress.” Union Facts. Accessed February 15, 2025. https://www.unionfacts.com/lu/542561/AFT/2334/#finance-tab
9. “Statement on the War in Israel and Gaza.” Professional Staff Congress. Accessed February 15, 2025. https://psc-cuny.org/news-events/statement-on-the-war-in-israel-and-gaza/
10. “PSC member syllabus statement – Spring 2025.” Professional Staff Congress. Accessed February 15, 2025. https://docs.google.com/document/d/12EAYe1FZJodOCH0SJJBNHwcMINW2V5K9MeEI5y4gORA/edit?tab=t.0